Embodiments described herein relate generally to tools and methods for engine maintenance, and more particularly, to a tool and a method for draining and refilling a cooling system of an engine.
Repair and maintenance of the engine periodically includes draining and refilling the coolant in the cooling system of an engine, such as in a vehicle, boat or stationary water-cooled engine. Typically, a petcock is located at the bottom of a radiator or radiator pipe of the cooling system. To drain the cooling system, the petcock is opened to allow the coolant to flow out of the cooling system under gravity. A cap at the top of the radiator or cooling system is also removed to allow air to enter the cooling system, so that a vacuum does not impede the flow of coolant out of the petcock. Alternatively, the cap of a radiator or cooling system is opened to allow the air to flow into the cooling system.
After the repair or maintenance, if the coolant is not contaminated before or during the draining process, often the drained coolant is placed back into the cooling system. Technicians draining the coolant typically collect the coolant in a pan located beneath the petcock. In the pan, the coolant is open to contamination and is also susceptible to spilling.
After the coolant is drained from the engine, the cooling system is re-filled with coolant. The petcock is closed and coolant is poured into a filler neck at the top of the engine or into the surge tank. Pouring the coolant back into the cooling system can be time consuming and can often lead to spilling and contamination. Also, because of the complexity of the cooling system, air can get trapped within the cooling system. Trapped air in the cooling system can cause damage to the EGR coolers. Additionally, trapped air can result in low coolant level fault codes and warnings, or even engine shut-down caused by an engine protection system at the vehicle's engine control unit.
The conventional method to bleed the cooling system of the trapped air is to run the engine for a period of time to let the air escape the cooling system, and after the air has escaped, to add more coolant to the cooling system. Bleeding the cooling system is a time-consuming process.